Well, I'm not Rich but in 'my' Realms, Elphras was a prince of Impiltur: specifically the fifth son (and a twin) of King Imphras II by his second wife. As to what happened to him, well that's something for you to have fun with I think.

-- George Krashos

"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus

anything i say might be a spoiler but youd be spoiled anyway to read such a great book

I just read your book bc im sick but what an amazing book. it has soo much flavor! I loved the fflar character and his experience with why he came back! and I love the tragic scene with brant at the wizard tower in the forest of wyrms! 1- the character of brant i found so heroic and tragic2- I love the part about finding the trap in the stone by sensing the grooves etc. that was really well described and i could almost feel the grooves.3- I love how you had Aerivan fire through the window and race down to the next one. that was really a thrilling moment and very true to the experience of being in a d&d campaign.4- i thought it was interesting how similarly you write for drow and elves. the dissension in the court of evermeet very much reminded me of the council of matrons in menzobearanzan. alot of the tension has imilar elements as your book condemnation5- the part about the wood elves didnt seem to be very much related to the rest of what was happening... and i was wondering, are you going to make them more prominent in the other novels? right now it seems like they are two stories told at once6- i only recently found out who malkizid was! hehe im very eager to read on

"You came here to be a martyr in a great big bang of glory... instead you will die with a whimper."::moussaoui tries to interrupt::"You will never get a chance to speak again and that's an appropriate ending."

matron ghenni was probably resurrected. it should come as no surprise that a powerful noble matron would be revived.... there are those spells for a reason

quote:Originally posted by shoonvii

Mr. Baker,

*Spoiler*

Just finished Condemnation and loved it! Sorry if this has been answered elsewhere, but have we ever been clued in as to which Matron of House Faen Tlabbar was killed in Condemnation?

Are Matron Ghenni and Matron Ghenni'tiroth one and the same? Ghenni'tiroth died some 14-15 years ago in Realms time in Siege of Darkness.

I'm just curious if it was an honest mistake, and if so how would you rationalize what exactly happened as per Realms canon (might it be that it was the eldest daughter, Ghilanna, that was killed?); or if there was an off-camera explanation as to how Ghenni'tiroth rose from the dead - only to be killed again 14-15 years later.

Cheers!

"You came here to be a martyr in a great big bang of glory... instead you will die with a whimper."::moussaoui tries to interrupt::"You will never get a chance to speak again and that's an appropriate ending."

anything i say might be a spoiler but youd be spoiled anyway to read such a great book

Just a request that you mark the spoilers more clearly. I for example, haven't read Farthest Reach yet but I frequent this thread just in case Mr. Baker answers a question to other novels I've read. But it would please me if you still mark spoilers. Thanks.

Yeah, the only thing to consider is that Lolth isn't too keen to let her souls go back to the Realms...

C-Fb

Not only that, but the death of a Matron means someone else gets promoted. What drow would willingly bring back someone of higher rank than them? Or a potential rival?

Yeah, I can see it happening, but it would have to be something seriously extreme -- such as, your entire House is about to be annihilated, and only this one dead drow can successfully win the upcoming battle.

*looks up on a vast collection of books, makes room on the prominent shelf and put up two tomes, just recently read, titled "Forsaken House" and "Farthest Reach"*

It's not often I'm lost for words reading a book, but having read "Forsaken House" all I could do while waiting for the next book to be available here in Norway, was to read it again. This time with my notebook handy. Seldom have I gotten so much out of a Realms novel. Your detailed writing style is a blessing for us devourers of Realmslore. Touching on topics that obviously seem to interest alot of scribes is also a bonus. It is a shame that we will wait for the conclusion ... but it will give us time to read the two first books again. :)

My thanks for researching and writing the book. Kudos for the details, for the character gallery, the history and the great storyline.

A question regarding mythals. My corner of the Realms is Whitehorn, just south of the White Peaks. Home of Myth Ondath, the mythal that was destroyed by the Ice Queen using the Gatekeeper Crystal (Volo's guide to all things magical). The question is : what would remain of the mythal after it is destroyed ? Would it be possible to revitalize it using high-magic ? Preciously little is known about Myth Ondath except a brief mention in the elven timeline in Cormanthyr - Empire of the Elves. Another "black hole" is Rystall Wood, which I understand is an outside group that chose to distant themselves. Any information would be highly appreciated.

Sorry that I haven't been frequenting the boards lately. I've been super-busy with a "crash" project at work, plus I've been scrambling to finish up the first draft of "Final Gate" at home. Oh, and Wizards of the Coast is moving offices at the end of this week--just across the street to another Renton office building, but still, one more thing to stay on top of.

I'm glad you liked the first two-thirds of Last Mythal; hope the last one doesn't disappoint!

Regarding Myth Ondath, there are two possibilities:

a) the Gatekeeper Crystal's "implode magic" function was used, in which case the place would have been largely flattened, sort of like Hellgate Keep. Doubtless many buried cellars, strongholds, vaults, and other subterranean or outlying features still survive.

b) the Crystal' "remove barriers/give me access" function was used, in which case the city might have survived reasonably intact, only to be pillaged and burned by a horde within days of the mythal's failure. More surface features would have survived.

As for what was in the city itself, heck, anything I say would be pure speculation. Beyond what little is said in the Cormanthyr timeline, I sort of favor the idea of a "wizard's city," a hidden city like some of the high, remote monastery/cities of Tibet. Mystical, remote, secretive, but not evil. However, I don't have Empire of the Elves close at hand, and I can't get at it because it's already packed up, so I have no idea if that would fit the little bit that was said in that book.

quote:Originally posted by Baalster

Richard,

*looks up on a vast collection of books, makes room on the prominent shelf and put up two tomes, just recently read, titled "Forsaken House" and "Farthest Reach"*

It's not often I'm lost for words reading a book, but having read "Forsaken House" all I could do while waiting for the next book to be available here in Norway, was to read it again. This time with my notebook handy. Seldom have I gotten so much out of a Realms novel. Your detailed writing style is a blessing for us devourers of Realmslore. Touching on topics that obviously seem to interest alot of scribes is also a bonus. It is a shame that we will wait for the conclusion ... but it will give us time to read the two first books again. :)

My thanks for researching and writing the book. Kudos for the details, for the character gallery, the history and the great storyline.

A question regarding mythals. My corner of the Realms is Whitehorn, just south of the White Peaks. Home of Myth Ondath, the mythal that was destroyed by the Ice Queen using the Gatekeeper Crystal (Volo's guide to all things magical). The question is : what would remain of the mythal after it is destroyed ? Would it be possible to revitalize it using high-magic ? Preciously little is known about Myth Ondath except a brief mention in the elven timeline in Cormanthyr - Empire of the Elves. Another "black hole" is Rystall Wood, which I understand is an outside group that chose to distant themselves. Any information would be highly appreciated.

I'm a military buff, so I wanted to show the progress of the campaigns--and also show a little of what warfare in the D&D world probably looks like.

RE: Grayth, Filsaelene, Donnor, I simply wanted to keep the readers on their toes by not creating an "unchangeable" lineup of characters around Araevin. I thought it would be a little more, well, realistic if the supporting cast evolved over time. But now that I look back on it, I sure see how it came off a little different from what I intended. Guess I'll know better next time.

quote:Originally posted by El Magnifico Uno

Just finished Forsaken House and Farthest Reach... That is some darn good writing there Mr Baker!!... Normally I have a fairly low opinion of the writing quality of FR books, but you sir, are damn good!!.. Great use of vocabulary! Characters with depth! Elves that seem, well, like elves! and not just humans with pointy ears!... Definitely hands down "the best Realms book to date" to paraphrase Mr. Greenwood...

Questions -1) Were you required by your illustrious editors to use "X" number of battle scenes?... They seemed a bit tedious after awhile...2) What was up with the "recycling cleric"? Every few chapters they get a new cleric... Reminds me of old PnP games where a player would change characters every session, but each one was just a new rendition of the last...

Rich, absolutely loving The Last Mythal series. The Farthest Reach is quite an endeavor. Thanks. I had just a few questions. Spoilers, sorry

The creatures invading Sildeyuir; are they described in more game-use detail anywhere as yet? And, by the writings in Cloak and Dagger, Mulmaster is essentially under Zhentarim control and Manshoon has returned to the organization in some regard. Is there any particular reason the forces of Mulmaster and Manshoon aren't involved in The Farthest Reach, or did you just feel it added to many elements to an already very thick tapestry? Appreciate any thoughts you might have.

What is the status of the church of Lathander in the Ruins. Am I remembering it right that they are killed off by the shades right, so their temple survives until 1372, or did the Fey-ri do them in?

I, personally, was a bit confused by the mention of a temple to Lathander within the ruins of Myth Drannor. The novel seems to say that the temple was indeed inside the city, but I know of no such temple. The Dawnspire, the nearby temple of Lathander, was described as laying a distance outside the city, at least in the Ruins of Myth Drannor boxed set. The Sage Advice column in Dragon 208 offered the following suggestion for the locale:

quote:Karen and I suggest placing the temple in the Westfields area, just south of the Burial Glen (see the Campaign Guide to Myth Drannor, page 15.)

What is the status of the church of Lathander in the Ruins. Am I remembering it right that they are killed off by the shades right, so their temple survives until 1372, or did the Fey-ri do them in?

I, personally, was a bit confused by the mention of a temple to Lathander within the ruins of Myth Drannor. The novel seems to say that the temple was indeed inside the city, but I know of no such temple. The Dawnspire, the nearby temple of Lathander, was described as laying a distance outside the city, at least in the Ruins of Myth Drannor boxed set. The Sage Advice column in Dragon 208 offered the following suggestion for the locale:

quote:Karen and I suggest placing the temple in the Westfields area, just south of the Burial Glen (see the Campaign Guide to Myth Drannor, page 15.)

And when we discussed it with Ed, in 2004?, he confirmed that it was indeed outside of the city. His reply is in my files. :)

For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet and excite you... Books are full of the things that you don't get in real life - wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. - Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird

I thought that right outside the city made sense, but the Ruins Boxed set never said where it was which was pretty vexing to me. Of course it can't be too far away though because it is certainly within the Mythal which I think only stretches out like 100 feet/yards or so from the edges of the city.

Kuje, are there many answers from Ed on Myth Drannor in your FAQs? Well I guess with modern technology it won't take long to search them.

Wooley- Which book was the part about the temple being destroyed in? Was it the Return of the Archwizards or the Farthest Reach.

The Shades clearing out the Phaenrim was the one thing that no set of adventurers would ever be able to do, and opens up the opportunity for anyone to take the place over. I'm guessing that as soon as the Shades leave there is a huge influx of adventurers the size of the influx right after the retreat from Cormanthyr.

Kuje, are there many answers from Ed on Myth Drannor in your FAQs? Well I guess with modern technology it won't take long to search them.

At least a hundred. :) Use the table of contents for each year as a starting point. :)

And the temple being destroyed is mentioned in book 2 of the Last Mythal trilogy.

For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet and excite you... Books are full of the things that you don't get in real life - wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. - Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird

The temple of Lathander wasn't marked on the maps, nor does the book give a clear location. Semi-official suggestion from 'The Sage': place the temple in the Westfields area, just south of the Burial Glen.

The Sage said in Dragon #208 in the Sage Advice column:

Where within Myth Drannor is The Dawnspire (the temple of Lathander)? I've looked through the book twice and I can't find a clue. I know the site is supposed to cover about five acres, but there's no scale on the map. Is that an oversight?

TSR's Karen Boomgarden and I also spent a great deal of time poring over the book and the Myth Drannor maps trying to find the answer to this one. (The floor in Karen's cubical is just about large enough to accommodate all the maps at once. An onlooker would have had a grand time watching the two of us trying to study the maps without soiling or tearing them with our shoes.) Karen and I suggest placing the temple in the Westfields area, just south of the Burial Glen (see the Campaign Guide to Myth Drannor, page 15.)

There isn't supposed to be a scale printed on the maps. Myth Drannor's Mythal, see the Campaign Guide to Myth Drannor pages 22-31) and the corrupting influences of all the gates and wild magic make all distances within the ruins distorted and variable."

Ed said on March 25, 2004, "Damian, Kuje has got it right re. Dawnspire."

For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet and excite you... Books are full of the things that you don't get in real life - wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. - Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird